Tuesday, 10 February 2015

Benefit have already created the UK's No1 best selling mascara in the form of 'They're Real' which took the beauty world by storm. I really loved 'They're Real' as it gave me really great length and volume, but it has never been my favourite mascara due it to it making my lashes feel quite stiff and being the most difficult mascara to remove. So when I heard about the release of a brand new mascara, I naturally couldn't wait to try it out! Benefit have cleverly teamed up with ELLE magazine this month to bring it's readers an exclusive free tester of their new Roller Lash mascara before its release next month.

Roller Lash is inspired by old fashioned rollers and how they curl hair, with their slogan 'Its a roller for your lashes!' This concept runs right the way down to its retro style packaging mimicking an old fashioned pink hair roller (full sized tube). I really love the way Benefit always have a specific theme for their products, to me it's what makes them stand out from the crowd and keeps things fun and exciting.

The Hook n Roll brush has a curved wand with shorter bristles on one side which are designed to grab,curl and lift each individual lash while the curve-setting formula sets them in place for 12 hours. The formula contains lash conditioning ingredients such as Provitamin B5 and Serin, is waterproof and apparently easy to remove.

Having tried this mascara out for almost a week I have to say I have really fallen in love with it. The wand does a great job at lifting my lashes right from the root giving them volume. I tend to use the shorter bristles first and then turn the brush to use the longer bristles to add some length. My lashes look nice and separated with no clumps. In terms of having 12 hour wear I don't usually wear my makeup for that length of time however my lashes did keep their curl throughout the day and I had no flakiness or panda eyes at all. My lashes don't feel rock solid and brittle when I wear it which must be down to the lash conditioning ingredients.

When it comes to removing at the end of the day, I didn't have nearly as much trouble as I used to have with 'They're Real'- I simply use a good waterproof eye makeup remover and it comes away with ease.

From using this mascara for only a short time, I already think Roller Lash is a fantastic and dare I say it much better than 'They're Real'. It does exactly what it claims to do by giving my lashes great curl and lift that lasts. I really hope that it gets the reception it deserves when it's released in March and I will definitely be purchasing a full sized tube as soon as I can.

If you want to give Roller Lash a try for yourself I urge you to pick up a copy of this months ELLE magazine before they sell out!

Thursday, 29 January 2015

‘Perfect Brows’- Everyone wants them and the majority of us
(myself included) aren’t blessed with them, which is why it’s so important to
me to find great products to fake it! Anastasia’s Brow Whiz pencil has been my
favourite brow pencil discovery thus far. The formula, the colour and the
natural look it creates is something I haven’t been able to beat. Its only
downside is the £15.50 price tag which I find a tad expensive considering how quickly
I go through it. I have been on the hunt for a more affordable high street
dupe and came across the Eylure Brow Pencil at the much more purse friendly price of just £5.45.

I chose the shade Medium brown which is the perfect neutral
mid brown and a great match for me.
There’s nothing more unnatural looking than using a brow pencil that is
much too warm in tone, so any pencils that have a neutral or grey undertones
look the best. For the most natural looking brow I like to use short upward
strokes in the sparsest areas. When I get to the front of my brow I use a much
lighter hand and finish by brushing through with a spoolie. The fact this
pencil comes with a perfectly sized spoolie on the end is just wonderful. It should be a must for all brow pencils to
have one in my opinion!

The firm and slightly waxy formula of this pencil is so easy
to work with. It clings to my brow hairs making them appear thicker, and allows
me to draw on individual brow hairs making my
brows look nice and full without looking too filled in.

In terms of how it compares to the Brow Wiz- I think it’s a
fantastic affordable dupe for it. They both have a similar formula being slightly waxy yet
blendable. They also both come with spoolie at the opposite end which makes
blending quick and easy. Anastasia’s nine colour shade range is superior to
Eylure’s four, but I've found Mid Brown to be a great match for me and is very
similar to Brunette which was the shade I previously used from Anastasia. I do favour the Brow Wiz to this pencil however for day to day use its a great alternative. If you’re looking for a great affordable brow pencil that
gives you natural looking results then look no further than Eylure’s offering. For £5.45, this is one of the best brow pencils I
have found on the high street.

The Eylure Brow Pencil is available from in store at Boots, Superdrug and Eylure's website in four shades- Blonde, Mid Brown, Dark Brown and Black.

Friday, 9 January 2015

MAC is one of the most iconic and well known makeup brands
across the world. I can still remember the first time I walked into a MAC store
many years ago, I felt so overwhelmed by the choice of products that they had
and spent hours swatching lipsticks and eyeshadows. I must admit and it has
taken me quite a few years to find the best products that work for me and
what is worth spending the money on, because lets face it, MAC ain't cheap! I have compiled this list of what I think
are the best MAC products that for beginners in the hope of helping anyone out there who is just starting out with makeup, has never bought anything
from MAC before or are just looking for some new products to try! I tried to keep this list relatively short and relevant to beginners, as there are so many more products I love from the brand!

This powder is one of my all time favourite powders (let
alone from MAC!) This finely milled powder gives such a natural finish to the
skin and never looks cakey or powdery. I never want to be without it! The
formula is best suited to normal to dry skin types as it is a lightweight
powder but I would recommend it to anyone to try out. MAC have a really great
colour selection too from very fair to very dark. I also have this powder in a darker shade to
use as a bronzer because it looks so natural.

Again from the Mineralize line, comes this beautiful shimmery
highlighter in the shade Soft and Gentle. I have owned this powder for over two
years and have hardly made a dent in it! This is a product that will last ages
as you only need to use a small amount. All of the Mineralized Skin Finish
shades are beautiful but Soft and Gentle is one of the most universal with its
peachy champagne colour that flatters so many skin tones. It has fine shimmery
particles without glitter giving the high points of your face a pretty natural
looking glow. For darker skin tones I
would highly recommend the shade Gold Deposit which I can get away with wearing
when I am tanned in the summer.

Whenever I apply my eye
makeup I ALWAYS reach for one of these as a base. They keep my eyeshadow in
place all day, and make my eyeshadows look much more vibrant. My favourite and
most used shade is Painterly (pictured) as its the closest match to my skin
tone. Soft Ochre is also very natural looking but has a more yellow tone than Painterly.
They have a creamy texture that blend in nicely just using your fingertips.
Painterly and Soft Ochre in particular are perfect for covering up veins and
correcting any darkness on your eyelids. If you like cream eyeshadows there are
so many shades to choose from with different finishes that would look beautiful
on their own.

This is one of the best
under eye concealers I own as it has great staying power and doesn’t crease and
settle in fine lines under my eyes. It is very full coverage so I only need to
use a tiny amount to cover up my dark circles. It’s also really effective at
covering imperfections and redness too. I like to set this concealer with the Mineralized Skin Finish Natural to keep
it in place all day and it does the job perfectly.

I couldn’t do a post about
MAC and leave out these bad boys! If you are into highlighting and contouring
then I would recommend checking these highlighters out. The pen style
applicator is fuss free for highlighting the face and under eyes and the creamy
formula is pigmented and so blendable. My favourite shades are Radiant Rose which
is a pinky salmon colour, and Light Boost (pictured)
which is has a yellow tone. These highlighters aren’t necessarily essential
products for beginners but I think they are definitely worth having in your
makeup collection!

Firstly, I know MAC
eyeshadows are on the pricey side however I think their range of shades and
finishes is incredible. I own quite a few eyeshadows and have never been
disappointed by their pigmentation and they blend out beautifully. I’ve always
found it hard to find good quality matte eyeshadows and MAC are some of the
best I have tried. You can buy them singularly or in refill pan form which is slightly
cheaper and also allows you to create your own custom palettes. I will be
posting my MAC eyeshadow collection soon if you would like to see swatches.

This was the first product
I ever bought from MAC and I must admit collecting their lipsticks is a guilty
pleasure of mine. Once you start you will become addicted trust me! Their shade
range is vast and they come in a variety of finishes so there is something for
everyone’s tastes. To name a few of my favourite shades would be Pure Zen,
Angel, and Half N’ Half (pictured) which
are great natural everyday shades and if I’m feeling bold my most reached for
are definitely Rebel, Diva, Ruby Woo and Heroine. If you need some inspiration, head over to My MAC Lipstick Collection post for swatches of the shades I own.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and found it useful or
interesting! I love reading your recommendations from makeup brands so let me
know what some of your personal favourites are from MAC or any brand!